1. Field of the Art
The present invention relates to a software vending system including a host system and a plurality of peripheral vending machines or instruments.
2. Related Art Statement
In recent years, a variety of software programs for video games, and visual or audiovisual software programs for business and educational purposes are marketed and sold on a large scale. The assignee of the present application developed a software vending instrument and a software vending system as disclosed in U.S. patent applications, Ser. Nos. 608,551 filed May 8, 1984 and 614,664 filed May 29, 1984. In such vending instrument or system, various software programs prepared by a software supplier or distributor are stored in a memory of each peripheral vending instrument located at a software dealer, or such programs are transferred from a central host system to the peripheral vending instruments. The purchaser selects a desired software program at the local vending instrument and duplicates the program in a blank tape cassette or other suitable recording medium supplied by the instrument. In this arrangement, the software dealer does not have to keep a large number of recorded tape cassettes, and watch for optimum stock of the cassettes of the different programs. Thus, the vending instrument or system as disclosed in the above-identified applications has freed the software suppliers and dealers from a cumbersome inventroy control of software packages, i.e., recording media which store various software programs.
While such software programs have been developed or designed by software suppliers, there is an increasing number of software maniacs or amateur fans who are interested in developing new software programs by themselves. When they wish to market the software programs of their own design, they duplicate the programs in tape cassettes and mail the cassettes to a software supplier or distributor, who evaluates the programs for possibility of sale on their network.